Today’s classes ended safely once again. Another day filled with the burden of reporting personnel to the squad leader, and it’s finally coming to a close.
Time to wrap up.
“Attention! At ease! 10th Platoon, 1st Squad, reporting personnel!”
“Wait, hold on. Squad leaders, no roll call after school today. Instead, you all should be aware that starting from today, you have to join a club. Those who didn’t do it in 1st grade should quickly find one.”
The 10th Platoon Leader announced lazily.
Starting from 2nd grade, students were required to participate in club activities immediately after school as a way to develop their social skills and abilities.
“Which club should I join? I wonder if there are any clubs that will accept a guy like me.”
Park Jinsung didn’t have much worry about joining a club. He knew it would only lead to more errands and end up being a waste of time.
“If you can’t find a club, you’ll have a personal interview right away. Got that, Private Park Jinsung?”
“Cough, cough, cough, cough! Are there any clubs in our Brigade that would accept an F-ranker?”
“Ha-ha. I’m curious how weak you really are, so I might even allow an entrance exam.”
Oh well. The squad leader openly pointing at him, and his fellow trainees who accept it without a fuss.
Park Jinsung looked through the list of clubs he printed himself.
“Ceremonies, Edeya Analysis, Emergency Rescue, and Squad Combat… Huh, what are all these?”
The clubs were just clubs in name, but in reality, they were nothing more than extra class time focused solely on military training. There were only clubs that concentrated on improving combat skills.
“What a joke! Aghhh!”
Other students started leaving for their respective clubs. Park Jinsung was the only one left in the empty classroom, still pondering over which club to join.
“How can I avoid doing this?”
Some clubs even had restrictions based on their Edeya rank. At this point, they felt more like exclusive social circles than actual clubs.
“Well, I guess most clubs are like that anyway.”
As he was contemplating, he noticed an item tucked away in the corner.
HT (Hard Training).
No use of Edeya. Solely focused on personal physical improvement.
“Oh, maybe I should give this one a try?”
The simple description appealed to him the most. There were no specific restrictions mentioned either. It seemed like a straightforward club, and he assumed there wouldn’t be many applicants for it.
The location was the gymnasium next to the infirmary. Park Jinsung strolled leisurely towards the HT club.
“Hey! F-ranker! Are you really thinking of joining a club?”
“Hey! Low-rankers! Can’t you just put me anywhere? I just need the title of being in a club!”
As Park Jinsung greeted his peers, he noticed the gymnasium getting closer and closer, with more and more people around.
“Why are there so many people here?”
Seeing the crowd, Park Jinsung suddenly began to doubt his choice.
The gymnasium was bustling with far more people than he had anticipated. It was almost as crowded as a busy marketplace.
“Oh well, I made the wrong choice.”
In retrospect, it did seem odd that a simple club topic would require reserving the entire gymnasium. However, by the time he started doubting his decision, he had already arrived at the gymnasium.
“Huh?! An F-rank senior is here too!”
The majority of applicants seemed to be first-year students. Club activities were optional for first-years compared to the mandatory participation for second-years.
“Where, where?”
“Hey, but if you’re a senior with a lower rank than us, what should we call you?”
There were hardly any second or third-year students present. Since this was an optional club without Edeya usage, most of them seemed uninterested.
“Hmm, there are so many people. What am I doing here in a club without Edeya… Oh!”
“Park Jinsung.”
The rumored monster, recognized by the entire school, casually walked into the gymnasium.
“It’s Corporal Ahn Sungho!!”
“Wow, he’s so cool!”
Wow!!!
The first-year students’ reactions were akin to a concert venue, but unfortunately, the fearsome Ahn Sungho had little interest in the new students.
“Oh my goodness. I never expected to see Senior Ahn Sungho here…”
Unwavering gazes focused on him, and Park Jinsung’s back was drenched in cold sweat.
“G-Gotta go. This doesn’t feel right.”
“Where are you going, Park Jinsung?”
“Uh, uh-haha. I-I need to go to the restroom. I have an urgent need to… yes, that’s it.”
“A restroom is also in the gymnasium.”
“I-I can only feel at ease when I use the restroom in the second-year building.”
As Ahn Sungho approached Park Jinsung, the first-year students, overwhelmed by his presence, parted like the parting of the Red Sea in the biblical story of Moses.
“Are there no other members in this club? Are they still coming?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
‘Ugh! Did he see through me?’
For Park Jinsung, a club with few members was an unspoken benefit. If things went well, it could become his second home, similar to being the restroom monitor 1.
“I-I’m here! I’m joining the club too!”
“Me too! I’m joining!”
With the first-year students rushing to join the club, Park Jinsung’s eyes widened in surprise. It seemed that even Ahn Sungho’s intimidating presence couldn’t deter their enthusiasm.
“Come here. This isn’t a place where just anyone can join.”
“Hmm, that’s a shame. I’m below just about anyone here.”
“From now on, you’ll take the entrance exam. You’ll take the exam with the other applicants.”
“Wait, wait! Corporal?!”
Ahn Sungho grabbed Park Jinsung, who was trying to escape, and pulled him towards his side.
‘Ugh, what is this absurd strength?’
“These are the applicants. There are many this year as well.”
“Kyaaaaa! It’s really Corporal Ahn Sungho!!”
“Sob, he’s taking me.”
The first-year students, filled with fan enthusiasm, squealed at the sight of Ahn Sungho. The club was completely forgotten; it felt more like a cult.
“Silence.”
“Corporal said to be quiet!”
“Shut up, all of you!”
As Ahn Sungho spoke, the students quickly hushed each other. They didn’t want to miss a word he said and were quick to quiet down.
“Once we enter the gymnasium, we’ll start the entrance exam right away. The content is simple. If you can keep up with the exercises I do until the end, you pass. Any questions?”
“Will all of us take the exam at the same time?!”
“We’ll split into two groups for the test. Since it’s bodyweight training, there won’t be much difficulty conducting it. I’ll explain the details once we’re inside.”
“So many applicants, can they be properly screened?!”
“It doesn’t matter. Most of them can’t even imitate properly and will collapse anyway.”
‘Ugh. I don’t want to do this… Please let me go…’
Ahn Sungho, with a hesitant Park Jinsung in tow, entered the gymnasium.
* * *
“Wow. Corporal Ahn Sungho, what did you just say?”
“30 burpees, 30 push-ups, 30 burpees, and 30 squats make one set. We’ll repeat this continuously.”
“Hmm…”
Park Jinsung couldn’t understand a word of what Corporal Ahn Sungho was saying. He was already exhausted from the demanding requirements of the monstrous theme.
“Only those who can complete ten sets without stopping will be accepted. Follow my pace exactly. If you can’t keep up or get ahead of me, you’re out.”
And he said he would do it too.
He declared that he would be a living benchmark. It was a level that couldn’t even be mentioned without absolute confidence.
“This is the end of group one. Get ready for group two.”
Park Jinsung, who was spacing out, was naturally included in group two.
“Ugh. What am I going to do?”
“I’m not confident either.”
Just like Park Jinsung, the other 1st-year students were in a panic.
The female students gave up in droves even before starting. There was even a suspicion that Ahn Sungho didn’t want any new members.
“Begin.”
In any case, the first round of the entrance exam started, following Ahn Sungho’s instructions.
“Argh!”
“I, I can’t do this.”
Many participants failed miserably from the push-ups. It was evidence that many people were relying solely on their Edeyas.
At the transition from the first set to the second set, half of them gave up. And around the middle of the second set, the rest of them also abandoned the test.
“Ugh. I give up…”
Group one was completely eliminated. Even the last person standing gave up during the last squat of the third set.
The small gym vibrated with the lingering sweat and heat emitted by the applicants. The heat and humidity from their exertion filled the air.
“Let’s begin group two immediately. Clear some space.”
Exhausted and gasping, the group one applicants collapsed, and even the group two applicants waiting in line were sweating from tension.
But only Corporal Ahn Sungho remained completely unfazed, not a single drop of sweat on him.
‘Wow. He didn’t even warm up? He’s truly a monster, that guy…’
Park Jinsung found himself chuckling involuntarily. The applicants who lost their confidence all retreated to the back, feeling too burdened to even stand in front of Ahn Sungho.
‘Sigh.’
As a low-ranked F-class with no right to speak, Park Jinsung stepped forward smoothly in front of Ahn Sungho.
“Corporal, are you sure you’re of the human species? The fact that you’re one year older feels like a delusion.”
“It’s not something you should say, right, Park Jinsung?”
“…Hahaha.”
Park Jinsung looked at Ahn Sungho with a mixture of awe and fear. It was more of fear than admiration, to be honest.
“Group two, let’s begin.”
“Ugh!”
“Argh!”
Once again, a collective groan echoed as Ahn Sungho initiated the exercises. Even before completing the first set, the number of participants dwindled significantly.
“Huff, huff. Sigh. This is crazy.”
In truth, Park Jinsung had some confidence in physical activities. It had been since middle school, or was it even earlier? Ever since he realized the importance of physical training, he hadn’t skipped a single day of exercise.
Every day, Park Jinsung ran, pushed, pulled, and hung. The current routine was quite familiar to him.
“Ugh, no breaks, whoosh, and keep going, aah!”
Despite being Park Jinsung, he was not immune to the collective groans that filled the air.
By the time they reached the third set, only five participants remained – Ahn Sungho, Park Jinsung, and three extras.
“Hmm, group two is keeping up quite well. Should I increase the speed a bit?”
“No, please!”
Other than Park Jinsung, no one could even muster a whimper.
Hiiik! Ugh. Uwaaah.
In an instant, all three extras collapsed. One of them even started retching.
Ahn Sungho’s speed noticeably increased, yet his posture remained perfectly stable. It was as if his movements had become even more precise.
“Hey, look over there.”
“Wow… The F-class isn’t dropping…”
The girl who had arrogantly ignored Park Jinsung earlier now let out a slight sigh.
Ahn Sungho was undeniably monstrously fast, but Park Jinsung was keeping up with the same speed.
“Ugh, he’s not falling behind?!”
“This is insane. Is his comprehensive combat ability really F-class?”
“Argh! Seriously!”
Park Jinsung screamed as sweat poured down his face. If he had known it would be like this, he would have chosen a club closer to the classroom. There, he might have been treated like a mere burden, but at least he wouldn’t be enduring this extreme training.
“I train at home toooo!”
“Quiet down, Park Jinsung.”
The battle between the strongest and weakest in the school continued.
“Ahn Sungho is amazing, as expected!”
“Wow! Even the F-class senior isn’t to be underestimated?!”
The gym, once filled only with the smell of sweat, was now filled with cheers and excitement.
Fourth set, fifth set, sixth set – as the sets progressed, a group of supporters for Park Jinsung emerged.
“Ugh!!”
Even during the seventh set, Park Jinsung refused to give up. There was no sign of him faltering.
“Not bad, Park Jinsung. Have you finally taken my advice?”
“Ugh. What are you saying? This is so hard!”
“You really have impressive physical abilities. The reaction I saw back then wasn’t just a coincidence. Yeah, I guess you can keep up with this too.”
As Ahn Sungho increased the speed even more, he spoke.
The actions of the two were no longer considered training. It was nothing short of an intense struggle to squeeze every ounce of strength from their muscles.
The increasing speed of their dash was met with explosive cheers from the spectators.
“Wow!! The Corporal is increasing the speed here!”
“Can the F-class keep up?!”
“Fool, the Corporal still has room to spare.”
“He’s still keeping up, right?”
“The F-class is keeping up with an A+!!”
Both Ahn Sungho and Park Jinsung repeated their routine at an incredible speed. It wasn’t just the speed; the stability of their postures made them even more impressive.
Tenth set, the final squat.
“28!! 29!!”
The first-year students shouted out the remaining counts as they burst up enthusiastically.
“Good job, Park Jinsung.”
“30!!!”
“Huff, huff, huff. Whew…”
The strongest and the weakest student in the school completed their routine at the exact same time. It was a flawless finish with no room for disagreement.
“Wow!! The F-class senior did it!!”
“Amazing. Among all these people, only one passed?”
Countless applicants who didn’t make it clapped their hands for the sole successful candidate.
“Hmm, I’m really exhausted.”
Amidst the enthusiastic applause and cheers, Park Jinsung flopped down on the floor, feeling dizzy. He couldn’t tell whether it was due to the unfamiliarity of receiving such applause or simply because his body was exhausted.
“Huff, huff. Well, it’s not that bad.”
“Welcome to HT, Park Jinsung.”
Ahn Sungho spoke calmly as if nothing happened. There was no sign of fatigue in his demeanor, unlike Park Jinsung who was gasping for breath.
“Thank you, and I’ll take my leave now.”
“Don’t wait, just come back tomorrow.”
“Excuse me? Corporal? Did you really hear what I said?”
“Working out together increases efficiency. I’ve been waiting for someone I can match up with.”
“Match up? I can barely keep up with one more set. Didn’t you say you didn’t want someone like me?”
“It took me a year to increase the number of members. Hehe.”
“….”
Seeing Ahn Sungho looking pleased, Park Jinsung was at a loss for words. He couldn’t argue any further.
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